My Own Way
by Me Llamo Berry
Summary: Lisanna is back. And everything changes because Lucy goes on a mission by herself. No, she wasn't injured, everything went perfectly. In fact, so well she got a book that opened a bunch of new possibilities for her and her magic. She makes new firm friends along the way, and they all have their own troubled pasts.
1. Reflections, a prologue

**A/n- Hello, Berry (or Strawberry as I've been called) here. New story. I'm going to try to keep this one updated regularly. This first part is in a different style than the rest, so I'm going to call it a prologue, it's really just background on all the characters, set out for all of us. Yes, Laxus' is the shortest, and that's just because it's hard to set out his background like the others, but he will also probably get more screen time than most of the other characters, so it'll all work out in the end. Lucy's was honestly the hardest to write, I actually had to put it aside for a few days.**

**Unfortunately, I doubt that any of the chapters after this will be so long; it's only so long because I didn't want to separate any of these reflections since they're all necessary to the story, but not really part of the story, a prologue of sorts. But I can promise that I'll never post a chapter under 1000 words.**

**No, I will not be like other authors and give away my plans right off the bat, not even pairings. Why? Because that's half the fun of reading, finding out where it's headed. There are a few pairings I'm still debating on, but there are two definitely set, and no I won't tell you which ones they are.**

**Yes, this is an AU. One obvious instance is where Lucy's father is concerned; he never went broke, and he never tried to reconnect with her. Other instances include with the timeline, which I might never mention in the story, but is different than what the wikia page says for at least one date. The story takes place less than a week after their return from Edolas. The reflection prologue here ends basically with the Fighting Festival arc.**

* * *

He loved his gramps. Really, he did. How could he not? Gramps would always take the time for him, care for him, see the best in him when his father did not. Gramps even sat out of the Fantasia parade to watch him instead of taking away the spotlight from his grandson. It wasn't really his fault that he was always viewed as 'Makarov's grandson'. But it was so easy to blame the old man for it.

It was easy to blame to old man for kicking his father out. Gramps did care and he was doing the best for the guild. But as a teen, it was hard to see it that way... Gramps was just following the rules and it was only recently he'd come to realize that Gramps was just as upset as he was about his father being kicked out... but he couldn't make any exceptions. Not even for family.

He himself, deserved to be kicked out for what he did. He could see his faults now. Yes, people did see him as Makarov's grandson, but... he was more than that and as he got older, they saw that, but he didn't notice. Was too caught up in his anger. He was being a typical teen... with an obsession about being strong.

He really should have been angry at his father. For calling him weak. For never being good enough... even once the lacrima was implanted in him. The agony of sudden power rushing through his veins, of suddenly knowing spells he had no idea of before... It hurt, and it still stung that his father felt he had to stoop to such lengths to get a 'strong' son. And it still wasn't enough. It was never enough. His father wanted power, and he didn't care what he had to do to get it.

As an angry teen, he never saw it... Never realized that his father was really never a father to him. More of a demanding coach... or maybe even owner... he was treated like a possession sometimes after all. Never realized that his father was only making him obsessed with strength because that was the only thing that made him good enough. But he was his father. And he loved him. It made him blind. But love is like that sometimes. But now, now he knows. He's not going to be a puppet of his father, he's not going to let his anger rule him. He's not going to focus on strength as the only thing people need. He's going to learn how to be a good leader, one worthy of leading Fairy Tail.

And he would make himself worthy of the admiration of the Raijin Tribe. He treated them so horribly by the time the plans came about. He was a terrible friend. He had to make it up to them someday.

It would take lots of training, introspection, and socializing, but he would do it. He would become someone his gramps can be proud of. He would be his own person. Laxus Dreyar just needed to make his own way.

...and get rid of that damn dragon lacrima.

* * *

As a young child, he'd always been weird. Liked to play by himself, make friends out of various types of dolls, acting as if they were real. His parents tried to make him be normal, but he just couldn't let go of his friends, as that was what they were back then. He'd always go back to them in his room, after trying to be good for his parents when company was over.

Then one day his friends were burned. He cried, at the age of 6 he cried, when his friends were all burned, anything resembling a doll was burned. He lost his friends. They were gone; he couldn't talk to them. At the age when boys feared crying, he did so freely. Of course he did. Who wouldn't?

His parents requested that no one in their town give him any toys. They claimed that he had plenty and that anything he said was a lie. So even in the face of his tears, they refused to give him even a sock doll to play with. Kids his age made fun of him and his odd habits. He withdrew, soon to only stick to his house, but he hated his family... there was no escaping.

By the age of 7, they thought he was possessed or insane because of his babbling about his friends as if they were real people... sometimes with characteristics they didn't think he should be able to even comprehend let alone come up with. They took him to the local asylum. And left him there. Left him to be treated by doctors who didn't care; who never suspected he had been born with a gift, one of the rare mages that didn't need to shape their magic, he was born with a type of magic ingrained with him. It was a blessing... and a curse.

He survived a year in the asylum, but one day... one day, he just snapped, had a total breakdown. He had a tantrum, hyperventilated, cried, screamed, fought. Everything was white. Everything was ordered. Everything was neat and organized... everything was boring. Everything... everything was his life. And he hated it. He remembered other colors than white, like green, and purple... and black. No one tried to talk to him, to help him, they didn't care. They were just keeping the insane people in the building, away from society.

They wouldn't even take him outside. When his break down happened, they reacted like professionals dealing with a criminal. They tried to pin him down and give him a sedative. He fought and bit and kicked. He screamed.

"NOOOOOO! Don't please don't I don't wanna be like the others I wanna go outside!" he wailed as he looked one of the doctors in the eyes. The doctor straightened... and started ordering the others to take him outside. They protested, looking down at the child. He looked up at them and begged again... and they all obeyed. Anyone who met his eyes. He didn't know how to stop it. It scared him.

As soon as he was outside, he ran for it. He ran through the streets and into the woods. He ran. And ran. Until he collapsed, panting for air. He looked around frantically. No one followed him. Good. He needed to be away from people. He really was a danger like his parents said. He could control people. He didn't want to. He didn't want to. So he stayed away from people, living off of scraps and whatever he could find. He made sure to never look anyone in the eye. That was dangerous.

He made new dolls for his friends. Sure they were crude and not well made. But they did the job, and his friends liked them. He liked never being alone. But they weren't the same as real people. He kept moving, kept from getting caught... until one day, a blond boy, a year older, came across him while his friends were floating around his head.

He would never forget the kid asking him how he did such magic; his denials that it was magic, his weak protests that he was just insane, the kid dragging him over to his grandpa.

And then.. he was offered a place at the guild, he'd be taught how to control it. It really was magic. It was a blessing and a curse, a rare magic, it was no surprise his small town thought he was crazy.

At that point, he promised to devote his life to the two people who made his life better, the blond haired kid would become a friend, and his guild master.

Then he was faced with a tough choice, over 10 years later. The kid, now a man, or the guild master. In the end, he chose his friend who'd helped him and his two other friends, also devoted to the same man. They didn't agree with his course of action, but they convinced themselves it was necessary. And it was easy for him.

After all, his guild mates were freaked out by him, so he might as well get back at them for it, it'd be good entertainment... but then it all went wrong. And his friend was kicked out of the guild. And left behind him. Sure he still had the guild master... but it wasn't the same. At least his other two friends stayed. At least he had his babies.

He just needed to make more friends some how... but it was hard, because his year in the asylum left him a little weird. And people don't like weird. But he didn't want to change. And he had people who liked him, even with his weirdness. So Bixslow would just have to try and make friends in his own way.

...If only he knew a different type of magic that wouldn't freak them out.

* * *

When he was young, he lived in chaos. He came from money, was practically born with a silver spoon his mouth as the saying goes, but his parents were unusual. They liked traveling. And partying. So though they were rich, he didn't remember staying anywhere for more than a few months. His 'homes' were generally hotels. He learned to read at the age of 2, but his parents didn't take notice.

Oh, he liked seeing the different cultures, even between towns (there was one crazy town dedicated to couples and had the color pink EVERYWHERE, among other romantic things), but... it was chaos. There was no structure. He learned what was needed to get by in each town, and even then, it was rarely used because his parents just were everywhere. He just quietly observed everything when they actually allowed him with, but that was sometimes a rare treat depending on the town.

He never had peace and quiet, not with them around. And he never made friends, for various reasons. He was a rich snob. He was too quiet. His parents were too crazy. He wasn't worth knowing. So, he discovered libraries and bookstores and buried himself in books, reading above his age level as he devoured book after book. None of the shopkeepers or librarians knew what to make of him, but they would help him, watching amazement as he read books at a speed that was rare.

His parents would hold parties in the rooms sometimes, wild ones full of drunk people and violence. Or they'd come back, talking loudly about something that'd happened, forgetting about the small boy with them who craved attention. When they did remember, all they did was snap at him for one thing or another, but never really paid enough attention to do something about whatever he'd supposedly done wrong that time. Or they'd tell him to get out of the way, that was also common, and it hurt the poor boy.

By the time he was 6, his parents were forgetting about him and leaving him behind in the hotel room. He didn't mind. It gave him a chance to practice the enchantment magic he found in a book he bought after sneaking some money from them. The first month, nothing happened. Then he was able to write a simple enchantment to prevent them from entering the bathroom.

It had been amusing until his father, normally totally lax on rules, grabbed him. Neither his father nor his mother had ever punished him. He started crying, not sure what was going on as he was beaten up for what he did until his father forced him to take down the enchantment. Then since he could use magic, they decided that he could live on his own, surely he was old enough. They dropped him out of the window.

He laid in the dumpster in the alley next to the hotel, totally shocked and hurting badly. It took a while, what with getting out of the dumpster and then having to walk painfully, but finally, he'd been able to get himself somewhere safe, where he could recover. He went hungry for the first time ever, but he could barely move to find something to eat.

He knew he had to find something though. But he didn't know what to do. He was so sore and everything hurt. Finally, he was able to crawl to the lower trash cans, easier access for a small boy than a dumpster, and eat something. Then he slept. Then he woke up again several hours later and ate some more.

It was about a month before he felt well enough to leave the alley that had become his home. He'd practiced his enchantments and gotten even better. But he had no way to get new books. Not even from the library. He was too dirty. He looked like a common street rat.

Finally, months later, his 8th birthday came and went, though he hadn't noticed. He had been too busy setting up enchantments around his little nest so no one could come in and steal his stuff. He liked being able to set his own rules, and it was fun to follow them.

Finally he was able to clean himself up enough to be able to go into the library without suspicion. It was heaven.

He read about eye magics, and the different types. How one could give someone an eye magic through applying runes to the eyes, normally done with a store bought applicator... but he could use runes... all he needed was a mirror and he was sure to be able to do it for himself. It would be sure to make things easier for him.

And he did so, though it hurt a lot. Then he practiced until he perfected the magic he chose. It was thrilling when he succeeded. But it didn't change anything. He was still a street rat, yelled at for trespassing and for stealing, when he tried not to do either unless he was desperate for food.

By the age of 10, he trusted no one. He only trusted his rules, and the fact that people had no choice but to follow them if they got caught. He always won fights because of that, despite how scrawny and physically weak he was.

Then he heard of a guild in the town he lived in. It was full of mages doing jobs. Many people scoffed at the fact that the guild had children who joined, thinking those under the age of 13 had no business being there. Even if the master's grandson had been a member for a few years already, and was now 13.

He became excited, maybe this was his chance to get off of the streets. He eagerly packed all of his things and went to the guild. He was ecstatic when he was allowed to join and was offered help until he could earn money by doing jobs.

Then he found out that he was too serious, too quiet to really make any friends. So he retreated back to books once again when he didn't have jobs to do. Eventually, he made friends with the master's grandson, who had the first offer of friendship. Then he made friends with a weird boy two years older who had dolls flying around him at all times.

Eventually, he developed a sort of friendship with everyone in the guild. Everyone is accepted without question, after all. But it was still hard for the socially awkward boy, and he kept to his closest friends the most, even forming a team to be bodyguards to his first friend.

Years passed, the guild changed slightly. His friend grew more moody, more upset with the state he claimed the guild was in. Plans were jokingly made to change it. Soon that stopped being a joke and became a serious topic of discussion. It was all finalized in the end.

He wasn't too sure with the course of action, forcing people to hurt each other sounded like a bad idea, but he went with it. He didn't want to lose his first friend or to leave that friend without any support. Once the plan was in motion, there was no going back. Admittedly, it was fun to see who he could beat, but part of him said it wasn't fair to his opponents that they couldn't win; he'd had the advantage of time and knowing what was going to happen.

Then things started to go downhill, and he started to question his devotion to his friend... until he was told that if he went against said friend, he would no longer have a place in Fairy Tail. Reluctantly, he went back out there.

He hurt his guildmates to keep himself from losing and getting the wrath of his friend upon him instead of other people. He was so desperate he went to means he'd promised himself never to use on anyone who wasn't an enemy. He hurt his friends. And then the She-devil went after him. While he did do his best, he was grateful that she was going to beat him. Then she stopped before the final blow and talked about friendship. About the guild. And being connected to other people. And being lonely.

And he cried. There was nothing else left for him to do. He knew after all he could consider everyone in the guild friends if not family, but, he was still untrusting, leftovers from his life on the streets and fending for himself. He resolved to try to connect better with others. To be kind, to... trust.

Once they were all recovered, they set off back to the city. Even though he now knew that he had other comrades to fall back on, he still had to check on his first friend. Even if the friendship wasn't a healthy one now, that didn't stop him from caring.

Then a golden light covered the city. It cleared. No one was injured, mostly just surprised by the random event. But he knew. His friend had dared to try to use Fairy Law. And the magic read his heart... refused to hurt those who are not truly his enemies, no matter how much he'd deluded himself.

He reported this to his friend, and was glad there were two others between them at the rage his friend displayed. He prayed that those two would be able to stop him. His friend was better than this, he scarcely recognized the man in front of him.

Finally, the whole fiasco was resolved, with his friend getting kicked out of the guild. It was expected. As was him and the other accomplices not getting kicked out. They were being given a second chance to connect to the other guild members while his friend was essentially sent on a journey of self discovery.

He didn't know about his friend, but Freed Justine knew he would take this chance to walk his own path. To learn to trust again, to make friends, and to be his own person. He would do it his own way.

...if only he could forget his past.

* * *

She was a vain, girly, girl. Even if her family wasn't well off, they loved spoiling her with new toys or dresses. Things to make her look pretty. Her favorites were the fairy toys and the dresses that made her look like a fairy. They were the prettiest.

Then they started socializing her with other kids her age when she was about 5. And was immediately teased for being fat and ugly. She ran home crying. Her parents didn't believe her that the nice kids their friends had told them about could be so mean. She must've been lying.

They sent her back out there, back into ridicule. They were all maybe 4-7 years old, but even then kids can be cruel. And words can hurt. They called her a tattletale, a crybaby. Asked her why she dressed like a fairy when she clearly was too ugly to be one, maybe she was an ogre instead.

None of the adults in her life understood the trauma that the cruel teasing caused; it was just kids being kids they claimed. It was all jokes, and they probably didn't really call her an ogre, she just misheard.

She withdrew into herself, didn't play with them, let them tease her. She started tuning them out. Then one day her parents realized she needed glasses. She pleaded that she didn't need them; she was fine without them... but her parents insisted, and the bullies were given new fuel.

At home, she took solace in her fairy toys, but her fairy dresses started to get disused. She was too fat to be a fairy, she decided. She didn't deserve to even look like a fairy. But she kept dreaming, even if she stopped pretending to be a fairy.

Really, that should have been a warning sign to her parents that all wasn't well when one day she refused to dress up as a fairy for the first time in her life. But no, they decided she had grown out of her fairy phase, even as she kept playing with the toys.

When she was 9, they wondered where they went wrong that they had such a sullen child. She rarely spoke unless spoken to, and usually got in trouble for her tone of voice. She pushed around her food, barely ate. She became thinner. Paler. Bags grew under her eyes as the year went on.

They finally decided to sit down and talk with her. So she told them again all about the bullies that had been bothering her since she was 5. They told her to let it run off, it'll blow over. She really was pretty, she wasn't fat anymore, and she was pretty even then. They still seemed to think though that she was lying. They talked to the parents of the kids... who talked to their kids.

The next time she was at the park... They cornered her. She'd decided to wear one of her pretty dresses for the first time outside of special occasions. They laughed at her. One of the boys pulled her hair. They teased her, cruel as always. Then it escalated.

She must pay for tattling on them and the talk they had with their parents. She tried to run, only to trip over a tree root. She turned over, quivering as they approached. They laughed at her. The girls pulled at her dress until she was nearly all the exposed, they all took turns kicking her.

A boy spit on her. They got rougher, their voices taunting her. She broke and started crying. They sensed blood and closed in like sharks, teasing her for being a crybaby. One of the boys took her glasses and dangled them above her, watching her try to grab at them while others beat her down. They laughed.

Then he dropped them with a smirk and an 'oops'. They broke. She started pleading with them to stop, that she wouldn't tattle anymore. They were too into their fun to listen. She kept begging, but it only seemed to egg them on.

"NO MORE!" she wailed suddenly, looking a boy in the eye. He turned to stone. The other kids turned and stared at her in shock. She looked at them each in turn. They all turned to stone. She started panicking. She ran for home, for safety. Her parents weren't there yet.

That was fine, she could take care of her bruises and cuts herself. She did so. She then changed into different clothes and hid in a closet, crying about what happened. For all the teasing and bullying she'd endured, it'd never gone further than a tug on her hair or a shove...

Her parents arrived, and were mad at her for turning the kids to stone, luckily apparently they'd gone back to normal after an hour, but they all blamed her, said they were doing nothing when it happened. She protested, more than ever before, but not even the cuts and bruises convinced her parents that she was telling the truth. Something in her broke.

She started shouting about how unfair they were being how much she hated them. About how much she suffered and they did nothing. She even brought out her torn up dress.

Her mother slapped her and scolded her for telling such wild tales and decided it was time to get rid of all the fantasy stuff she had so her imagination wouldn't go so wild ever again. She started crying begging them not to throw away her fairies, anything but her fairies. But they refused.

She looked them in the eyes again, and they turned to stone. She gasped, because she'd looked them in the eyes earlier, but... her glasses were on, she took them off when she started crying and then she looked at them and they turned to stone! She put her glasses on hurriedly. She decided right then to run away while she had the chance.

Her life sucked anyways. Living on her own couldn't be any worse, plus she was dangerous anyways. She could turn people to stone, what if that stone cracked and they died because of it. She shuddered and packed her fairies, her dresses, her other clothes and then ran off. She snuck on the first train she could.

She was happy she had magic, but was sad that it was something like turning people into stone. Only evil people did that in stories. She wanted to be good. But she could only do that. She resolved to do her best not to turn people to stone ever again.

She had to learn other magic, she just had to... she wandered around for a long time, getting lost and having only her fairy toys for comfort. She regretted running away when it made her hungry and dirty. But she didn't want to go back... She just had no clue how to survive.

She would try to do magic in any way that didn't involve stones. She grew frustrated as nothing would happen. She just wanted to be a fairy! Fairies spread fairy dust, right? Suddenly one day, fairy dust exploded in the air in front of her. She was sitting on the street, the picture of a typical street kid. There were oohs and ahs... and suddenly money was dropped in front of her! It was enough for three whole meals! She thanked them, they smiled and moved on.

She practiced every day until her displays would attract all sorts of people. At the age of 12, she was more confident than she had ever been, her past locked behind a rock wall in her heart. One day, one of the people watching her street performance suggested she join Fairy Tail, a perfect place for someone who uses magic that looks like fairies used it. She embraced the idea and took her saved up money to head for that guild.

She didn't know what to expect. She was welcomed with open arms. Her only problem was her magic was self taught and not suited for fighting. But that was fine. She would learn. She watched people in the guild. She avoided most of the kids her age, and found herself drawn to a bookworm, a crazy boy with dolls, and a slightly moody lightning mage.

She found herself true friends. They helped her with magic, and eventually formed a team. She developed an arrogant mask and called herself the queen of fairies, since that had been a dream when she was little before the bullies took hold of her mind. She kept herself skinny and fit and wore dresses that would remind people of fairies. It was like living a dream, though her insecure self would take hold of her inner thoughts and remind her of her past and the bullying she endured; it whispered that she deserved it. She always tried to ignore it.

Years later, she turned her own guildmates to stone. She had taken the most convincing to go along with the original plan because of that fact. She was okay with turning enemies to stone... Non enemies, and even 'better' her own guild mates? Not so much. But she was basically threatened with the loss of friendship, so she donned her mask and did it. The reaction of the guild master nearly made her falter, but she acted as normal.

She kept acting arrogant and self assured, even when she was sure she was going to lose, she was no match for Titania, even if she wanted that title for herself. She even bluffed when she could do no such thing. The only control she had over the stone statues were when they would turn back to normal; after 24 hours or when she wanted them to. Or when she was beaten. And she was. She couldn't face her friends after that.

Then it was all over, and two of her friends stayed friends, they'd lost too after all. And the final friend was kicked out of the guild. She felt so guilty about turning her guild mates to stone, she wanted to go with, but he refused, so they switched tactics to trying to get him to ask the guild master to allow him to stay... but in the end he left. And she was left... feeling empty... and knowing people were afraid of her, hated her attitude... but she didn't know what to do.

She was still partially that scared little girl who was bullied with parents who didn't care. She was still insecure. Still sometimes believed she was fat upon looking in the mirror. She resolved, in the aftermath of that whole debacle, that she would try to be a better person... try to act like a better person. She would do it for herself. Evergreen would make friends and she would do it her own way.

...if only she knew how to take her mask off.

* * *

Being a rich person; pampered by servants, never wanting for anything... practically every girl's dream when they don't understand what it means. For her, it meant only having her mom for good company and her mom's spirits. Then... when she was barely 7 years old, her mom died. And she was left with no one, though she was determined to learn magic so she could have someone... at least Cancer, Aquarius had never liked her.

But what about her father? Wasn't he around? Oh he was. And he was probably a good person. She just had yet to see that part of him. He was never around when her mom was alive, always doing business. Afterwards, he kept doing business and never had time for her, even when she tried to do nice things for him.

He yelled at her for interrupting him. For not being ladylike, for trying to learn 'useless' magic. He made it hard for her. So she turned to reading fiction mostly. She wrote out her feelings and started planning a novel, even if it was childish because of her age, but she knew she would improve in time. It gave her a goal, something to look forward to in her otherwise dreary life.

When she was 13, she finally received Aquarius and Cancer for good, though Capricorn's key had disappeared. Aquarius still didn't like her and made fun of her, so she tried not to use her unless necessary. Cancer though was great at listening to her. He was the one who finally convinced her that it would be best for her to run.

So shortly after her 16th birthday, that's what she did. She left the home of neglect she'd endured and started off anew. After two months, she found a golden key, Taurus. She collected a few silver keys as well. Eventually, about a year after running away, she made it to Hargeon and found the silver gate key for Canis Minor.

Then everything turned upside down as she finally got to join a guild. One of the most well known (and destructive) guilds in Fiore. Fairy Tail. It was a dream come true. She helped a son connect with his father through a book. She went on a mission to prevent a dark guild from using an item to summon a demon, and felt mostly useless when next two her three guild mates who did most of the work, though it was nice when the exceed finally gave her the golden key that summoned a spirit able to help them escape.

Then she went on an S Class mission. She knew she shouldn't have done that, but it had a golden gate key as a reward, and she really didn't like the idea of her sometimes idiotic partner and his exceed going on it by themselves. So she went. And surprised herself a little at the fact that she was able hold her own against a mage with a very difficult power to fight when one has spirits.

After a few small missions, they returned home... and found out the guild was a target of Phantom Lord, a legitimate guild that had darker leanings. And then she found out that it was because her father finally decided to bring her home. And she knew why too. He probably finalized the betrothal contract he'd tried to talk to her about before she ran away.

That made her feel bitter, but she hated to see her guild at war and hurt because of wanting to be free. She tried to go, but they wouldn't let her, even though she felt more useless than over half the guild, especially with her keys missing. She couldn't fight, but they were fighting for her anyways, because they wanted to keep her around. It was hard to believe.

In the end, she went back home. To confront her father, and to cut her ties with her old life once and for all. It was a surprise when, as she was visiting her mothers grave, her teammates arrived. They were all worried about her and wanted to her to return... apparently she hadn't expressed clearly enough that she was coming back. It was good to know, though, that they cared enough to come after her with the belief she wasn't coming back. It made her feel better about being useless.

The next thing that happened was a bit of a surprise, though it did finally solve the mystery of why that one guy kept running away from her... he was a spirit. And he was never to return to the celestial after inadvertently causing his previous owner's death. She would have none of that, and nearly killed herself trying to open his gate, and later, after the Celestial Spirit King appeared, summoning all of her spirits for almost a minute. She was surprised she had that much power, maybe she wasn't so useless after all... something to ponder later, at that point she still had to save that spirit who happened to be her friend. To her relief, she did, and gained a new powerful spirit in the progress.

The Lion Spirit then gave her and her teammates tickets to a resort. And while there, another whole incident was sparked. Some people kidnapped the other female of the team, along with the exceed. They eventually found where they took her, accompanied by an old member of the now-disbanded Phantom Lord. They then found her... and learned of her past. She was surprised that the requip mage had once been a slave, and all of the other things in the past surprised her as well... it was a day of surprises basically.

Then they split up to look for a missing member of the team. She was with the former member of Phantom Lord, but it wasn't much of a problem, other than being perceived as a love rival by her potential guild mate. Until they came across a member of an assassin guild. The fight that followed was bewildering. At least in the end she had been able to summon Aquarius, though the spirit wasn't happy about the method. Then, with her new friend out of the control of the assassin, they performed a unison raid and defeated their enemy, though they weren't good for anything else afterwards, since it took a lot out of them.

Things went back to normal, or as normal as they ever did for Fairy Tail. She complained about lack of rent money and tried to find jobs as other people laughed at her obsession with money. She pretended to enjoy it and go along with it when it really did bother her; how else did they expect her to live where she did? She didn't own the apartment, and contrary to popular belief she didn't buy much, only enough to get by day to day with the very occasional treat for herself.

Luckily, some did actually take her seriously instead of just thinking she was exaggerating or greedy. The blue exceed told her about a beauty contest, and she decided to try. Her normal way of pumping herself up for trying something of course was taken as egocentric, but it was hard for her to try something without believing she at least had a chance, so she had to convince herself... aloud.

So she entered the contest... and didn't even get to perform her appeal before someone she hadn't really seen before interfered and declared herself the winner. Then the next thing she knew... she was staring at an empty guild and finding out that the guild was at war with itself. And that the master's grandson was the cause of it.

He revealed his newest plan, then the master collapsed. And it turned out that the whole town was in danger. She was all for evacuating the people, but the exceed talked her out of it... just in time for her to be assaulted, by dolls of all things.

An interesting fight later, in which she had help from her Lion spirit and words of advice from the exceed, she had won, surprising herself. It also came as bit of a shock when she was out of magic energy; sure she'd used two zodiac gates, but she'd done so in other situations without much trouble. Maybe it was because the two spirits were stronger spirits? Though she would never tell Aquarius that thought.

Then came the moment when the whole guild was arguing with each other. Over what they'd done to each other, as though they wouldn't have done the same things if they'd won. But that could wait for later, what with the lightning lacrimas that needed to be destroyed. She gave them a pep talk, and they all destroyed the lacrimas together. Of course there was that annoying side effect of getting the same amount of damage done to them as well... but in the end, they'd done it.

The guild did get back to normal after it was all cleared up. It took a while though, and it was interesting seeing the three Raijin tribe members attempt to make friends, though they obviously had some issues keeping them back even after what happened and some pep talks.

She promised herself to work hard, to become a stronger and better mage. She was still nowhere near the ability of any the members of Fairy Tail, in her opinion, even if she did defeat that one guy. She would do her best. Lucy Heartfilia would become one of the best mages in Fairy Tail in her own way.

...if only she could get away from those annoying pests invading her living space and making it hard to practice.

* * *

**A/n- I hope you enjoyed my adventure into the pasts of the Raijin Tribe, Laxus, and Lucy, I sure had a blast creating the backstories for some of them.**


	2. Chapter 1: Progress

**A/n- Here's the next chapter. I was so overwhelmed by the positive response. Thank you to all for reviewing, favoriting, and liking. I never expected that many for the prologue. I struggled a bit with starting the second and third parts, but I got it in the end thankfully. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia sighed as she sipped at her strawberry milkshake. Most of the guild was laughing and joking without her. Okay yes, it was her own fault for not going to talk to them, but she wanted to give them space as they welcomed a once thought dead member back to the guild. It had been five days though since that incident. She knew they were excited, but five days of celebration and ignoring her? Yes, again, she knew that was her own fault.

But normally she didn't even have to approach them, they would do that of their own accord. Natsu, her most common visitor, hadn't visited since they got back. That was a record, since she first got her apartment, he usually visited (without permission) at least once every 3-4 days, if not every day. None of the team even approached her, and sometimes she felt the only reason she got to talk to Mira at all was because Mira was the waitress.

Of course it was understandable, Lisanna had been back from the dead for only five days. Everyone was enthralled with her return at some point, but it was starting to drag on a bit. Things seemed completely different somehow. Like they would never go back to the way they used to be. Of course that was ridiculous. Sure, Lisanna was Natsu's childhood friend, but he was Lucy's partner, that counted for something.

The worst part was when she did try to approach them, on the first day, Lisanna seemed to freak out and cling to Natsu even more. Lucy had no idea what she had done, but decided to give Lisanna space after that reaction.

Lucy thought about her apartment rent, she had managed to pay it before the Edolas incident, so she was good for now, for once. Which meant she didn't have to listen to people complain about her complaining or tease her about being obsessed with money. She was able to sit in the guild and relax for once.

_'But... it's always good to save up, and since they're busy, maybe I can finally start training by myself for once like I've planned to for a month now,_' she thought to herself as she finished her shake. _'I'll try a small mission by myself, see how that goes, and try to figure out what I need to do for training... Loke could probably help... maybe a physical training schedule...' _she kept musing to herself, absentmindedly still sipping even though the shake was gone.

"Lucy, the shake is gone, do you mind if I take the glass?" Mira asked, half amused. Lucy jumped.

"Oh, no, go ahead. I'm done I guess." Mira took the glass and started to cleaning it, occasionally glancing over where the rest of Team Natsu was, plus Happy, as if to reassure herself that her sister was alive and there and that it was not a dream.

Lucy smiled at the sight. She knew from some of the events that had happened that Lisanna had truly been an important part of the guild, and that her death had changed Mira quite a bit. She tried not to begrudge everyone their time with Lisanna, but surely her return wasn't everything? Soon things would return to normal, or as normal as things ever were within Fairy Tail. She hoped they would anyway.

Meanwhile, she should get going on her training, after what happened with the Oracion Seis, being barely able to defeat Angel, even with more spirits, she knew she needed it. But first, a mission so she could start saving up, and possibly train along the way depending on what she found. She walked up to the request board. No one was around because they were all still a bit attached to Lisanna and talking to her, so they were reluctant to take a job, with a few exceptions, who for the most part were out on missions already anyways.

"Rescue a village, probably too strong a monster for me to handle, escort a caravan, needs more people than one and not worth the money anyways, take down a dark guild, ha like I could do that on my own," Lucy mumbled to herself as she examined the board. Suddenly she found the perfect one, guarding a mansion from a thief, and for... 100,000 jewels. She grinned. Mansions she could handle, she grew up in one after all, even if she had a bad childhood. She knew a lot about their nooks and crannies and was already coming up with the best ways to protect it.

She took the flier, surprising someone away from the crowd who was watching her idly, and went over to Mira. She waited for Mira to finish with her current dishes patiently, a little delay wouldn't hurt. It was 3pm, she could catch the 5pm train and then be in the town at 6pm to meet with the client.

"Mira, I'd like to take this request please," Lucy said as soon as Mira turned her attention to the blonde. She showed the flier to her.

"You sure you want to take this and do it alone? I'm sure Natsu or one of the others could help," Mira commented even as she approved it. Lucy shook her head.

"I know mansions well and how to find spots that's easy to sneak into them from. And well..." She looked over to where Lisanna was, laughing, with Happy in her lap and the team around her, plus a few others. "They're busy celebrating Lisanna's return, so I want to give them some space." Mira frowned in concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I haven't exactly tried to communicate so not really talking to them is my fault..." she trailed off wistfully, "even if I never had to try before..." she mumbled.

Mira caught her last words, but decided against commenting on it, resolving to interfere if it looked to be getting worse. Even if Lucy wasn't trying, it takes two to communicate, and they weren't even really remembering her it looked like. She felt guilty when she realized that half the time even she wouldn't have talked to Lucy if she wasn't the main waitress.

Lucy waved to Mira before heading off to do her first solo mission since she joined the guild. Every time before, she'd been with at least Natsu and Happy, if not Erza and Gray as well. Lately it even seemed like Wendy might be joining the team for some missions. Lucy loved her team, but she knew it would be good for her and kind of nice to do one on her own without help for once.

'_Maybe I can finally prove to myself and the guild that I'm not some weak cosplay girl. That I can do things and do them well, that I'm strong.' _She balanced along the canal as she walked home to pack. _'I wouldn't have been able to save Loke and open all those gates at once if I wasn't... I just don't know why I have trouble now...' _She decided to summon Plue for company, smiling at his unique way of speaking._ 'On Galuna Island, I used Taurus and then Plue before finally using Aquarius, it didn't fully wipe me out... but then when I was fighting Bixlow I used both Sagittarius and Leo, and couldn't move... does that mean together they're stronger than Taurus, Plue, and Aquarius combined...? Still, I shouldn't have collapsed after that, not after everything else I've been able to do...'_

"Pun pun PUUUN," Plue said urgently. She wobbled a bit and then realized that they had nearly passed her house. She laughed at herself for getting that lost in her thoughts.

"Thanks Plue, time to get ready for a trip, I think being at a mansion again could be fun..." She trailed off and then sighed. "Although I suppose it might remind me of my less than stellar childhood..." Then she had to laugh at her use of the word stellar as she unlocked her door and went inside.

"Pun pun," her spirit commented cheerfully.

"Haha, yeah, maybe I'm being too pessimistic, I'm sure it'll turn out fine." She started sorting through what clothes would be best, choosing clothes more suited for being in a mansion, though taking care to choose some clothes that could work as servant's attire as well depending on what the client wanted her to do specifically. "Well, it'll be a fun adventure at least."

* * *

"Well that is an interesting development," Freed Justine commented, watching Lucy leave the guild, mission flier in hand. He had a book on the table that he'd been reading, though he hadn't been reading for a while, preferring to observe the interactions of the guild in an attempt to figure out how to approach other people.

"What is?" Evergreen asked casually as she looked up from the magazine she was flipping through.

"The cosplay queen," Bixlow started, he'd also been watching people for the same reason, but he had nothing besides his babies to occupy him otherwise.

"Queen queen!" his babies echoed, floating in the air creepily.

"Took a mission and left without her team," he finished with his usual flair.

"Team! Team!" The dolls bobbled up and down as they floated in the air. Evergreen rolled her eyes, well used to his babies. It took her a second to register what he said.

"She left without her team?" she asked incredulously, staring at Bixlow. They all then glanced at said team. It didn't look bad or anything, since many of the guild members present were staring at Lisanna anyways.

Erza was standing imposingly by the table. Gray was half naked sitting on a bench and trying to get Cana to stop drinking, her only retort was that he needed to put on clothes. Natsu was laughing and talking to Lisanna, his face lit up happily. The rest of the guild was scattered around, laughing and joking as usual. Occasionally, someone would get up and go talk to Lisanna for a bit.

"They didn't even notice that she left," Freed observed after they had all turned back to their table, each deciding they'd spent enough time observing them. "Quite unusual for how protective they have been of her."

"Well, she needs the protection... wonder if she could pull off whatever job she took..." Evergreen wondered as she turned back to her magazine.

"She could I bet, she's a cosplay dominatrix!" Bixlow declared, with his babies agreeing. "She beat me, remember?" Evergreen looked up.

"Wasn't it Loke who beat you?" Her haughty voice was tinged with slight confusion.

"Not exactly..." Freed started, his voice taking on the distinct tone of a lecture. His two friends leaned back to listen; even if the tone of voice was annoying, he normally had good points. "Loke is a celestial spirits, and while they all have varying strengths on their own, they're only as strong as their owner. For the amount of strength Bixlow described him showing, and the results, Lucy must be fairly strong in magically herself. Though Leo the Lion is considered the strongest of the Zodiac spirits... I doubt he could've done such a strong attack without Lucy being strong," he finished his explanation. Evergreen considered it for a bit, before conceding that Freed probably had it right.

"That makes sense, but that brings up a lot of questions... I wonder if her team is holding her back because they don't see how strong she is, or the potential she has with how protective they get, especially Natsu," she said slowly. Freed nodded.

"I've been wondering the same thing myself," he confessed. "She not only shows strength magically, but determination among other interesting traits... and she's one of the few people who seem to be able to forget what we did a month ago." Bixlow nodded, being serious for once, the subject of people and friends was one he always took seriously.

"Yeah, she never even called me weird, and she apologized for Loke going overboard in the attack. She's interesting."

"Interesting! Interesting!" his babies echoed yet again.

It was Evergreen, though, who said what they were all thinking in the end.

"Maybe she wouldn't mind coming with us on missions, this might be our chance to... open up a bit," she said, with a bit of a hesitation about it. They all nodded, each feeling apprehensive for different reasons.

"When she comes back, and if she's amendable to it, which likely depends on whether her team talks to her or not," Freed said, finalizing it.

They all returned to their other activities, a bit excited and relieved. Maybe Lucy could be their stepping stone to other people. After all, she wasn't the only one able to ignore what they had done, Mira was an example, but Lucy was the only one able to treat them like normal people. Even with Evergreen's mask, Bixlow's weirdness, and Freed's seriousness. Things would hopefully finally start changing. They were sure of it.

* * *

In a hotel room, in a different town, Laxus sat and tapped on the table. Undeniably, he was bored. Self discovery was a lot more boring and yet emotionally draining than he thought it would be. Sure, it was fun to travel, but what was not so fun was finding jobs to pay for it, thankfully he had quite a bit saved up. S-Class jobs did pay a lot, after all.

The only bright spots were when he happened to come across the Raijin tribe on one of their missions, they still respected him and wanted him as a friend. They didn't talk about it, but acted as if everything was already alright. It helped, but because they were trying to make friends among the guild to be more accepted... the missions never lasted more than a few days. And then he was alone yet again.

Being alone was the worst. When he was alone, especially in the afternoon and evening, it was hard to be there with his thoughts. He knew he had a lot to think about, and it got downright depressing, especially as night started falling.

He sighed. He missed his friends, and the craziness of the guild. He never thought he'd think that. It was starting to eat at him what he'd done. How he forced people to hurt each other, how he nearly killed many while seriously harming his own guild mates.

_'Where did it all go wrong?'_ He wondered, pacing anxiously in his room, coat tossed on a chair. _'I wanted to help the guild get stronger... but somehow... Natsu was wrong.' _He sighed and barely kept himself from punching the wall.

_'By the time I activated the Thunder Palace... it wasn't a bluff... In planning, it had been... but at that point... I'd lost it...' _Laxus growled to himself, frustrated, getting nowhere in his thoughts as usual as he kept pacing the length of the room. _'I don't even know how that happened... not even knowing that Gramps nearly died stopped my rage...' _He sighed, he knew exactly why it didn't help.

_'When did I become so obsessed with not being associated with him anyways? It should have been an honor to be compared to him... he is one of the ten saint wizards after all...' _With a groan, Laxus sat down on the bed and dropped his head into his hands.

_'It's been a month, and I still don't know what happened... Maybe... is it because of my father?' _Laxus laid back on the bed, legs dangling off the edge as he stared at the ceiling. It was common for him to get frustrated and switch where he was and what he was doing while he was working through his thoughts.

_'He was obsessive about me being stronger than I was, saying that as his son, and Gramps' grandson I should have been stronger than I was... Did I pick up on that...? What was I thinking? Strength doesn't matter to everyone, being smart matters too, Freed wins fights just by outsmarting his opponents with his enchantments even though physically he's not very strong... so why did it matter that I was strong, that I had to make the whole guild stronger...'_

Laxus growled again. He was getting nowhere. It was time for a night run to hopefully help clear his thoughts. He grabbed his room key and music and left, easily settling into a jogging pace.

_'Okay, so my obsession with strength started because that was the only way I was ever good enough for my father once I was able to learn magic, and even before then, my father was upset I wasn't picking it up sooner... so getting stronger was the only way to get his attention.' _He barely paid attention to where he was going.

_'And while the dragon lacrima hurt... I did grow stronger, so I felt grateful,' _he snorted at his old feelings, _'and then when my father was kicked out... I didn't understand why, I had thought family was most important to Gramps... Of course it was, but he was also a guild master, and the whole guild was family to him, family my father had threatened... and family I hurt.' _Laxus sighed and stopped running, noticing idly that he was in the park.

_'It keeps coming back to that, doesn't it? The fact that I somehow snapped and didn't care who I hurt in the goal to make the guild stronger.' _Laxus spun around and started hitting the nearest tree in frustration, trying not to yell.

"Why..." he whispered finally, barely noticing his bleeding knuckles. "Why did I do that? How could I... how could I do such a thing..." Laxus sunk to the ground. "I made myself no better than one of the dark guild mages..." A tear slipped from one of his eyes.

_'Why? I just felt so angry, with no reason, why did I snap so badly._' Laxus rubbed his chest, about where the lacrima had been implanted. It'd been aching a lot, starting about two days before he snapped. He frowned, thinking suddenly.

_'Wait... I didn't snap too badly until I started using a lot of magic power... and it only got worse when I started using the dragon slaying magic... does the lacrima have something to do with it? It only grants artificial dragon slaying magic after all...' _Laxus scowled down at the spot it'd been implanted.

_'Of course my father would do such a thing. He didn't care if it made me emotionally unstable... So besides figuring out what I need to change, I need to work on how much power I use, and how not to get drunk off of the power and nearly killing people again. I refuse to do that.'_

"I won't be my father!" he yelled suddenly, startling a few birds and wild animals, but thankfully the park was empty (night had fallen after all). He stood up, clenching his fists. "I won't let my anger rule me, I'll remember there's more to magic than just strength. It's supposed to protect the weak, not harm them. I will do this," he promised himself. He smiled to himself and started walking back to the hotel, whistling a little. He'd finally made a breakthrough.

* * *

**A/n- Okay. Here's the deal on me and where I am in the manga and anime. Neither my boyfriend (who got me into the anime and is my source for the manga) nor I am very comfortable with watching/reading it online illegally, and it is very hard to figure out if the sites are legal or not. So, I've seen up to episode 72 of the anime, since 1-48 is on Netflix now, and the rest is on Hulu. As for the manga, we've only just gotten to the 7 year time skip. Volume 31 is coming out on Tuesday, and I believe that is when the Grand Magic Games arc starts. I do not read much spoilers beyond what I've seen in fanfiction and some on the wiki page. Mostly because my boyfriend dislikes spoilers and I don't want to give them to him. HOWEVER, there is now a chance that I will be able to catch up to where the manga is now. Crunchyroll is adding Fairy Tail, among some other manga, digitally on Wednesday. They haven't released all the details, but both my boyfriend and I are hoping they post previous chapters as well as the recent ones so we can catch up. I am however planning on only covering what I know and changing up even that since some things don't necessarily make sense to me, which does make this an AU, yes, but isn't all fanfiction? Which means, please don't tell me what does or doesn't happen in the manga/anime, whether I'm past that part or not. This is my story, I'll write it how I want.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Mission

**A/n- Okay, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Five days after she left, Lucy returned to the guild, carrying a book protectively. It was still early in the day, so there were only a few others besides Lucy there. She waved to the Raijin Tribe, the only people she really knew of those there, and then sat down at the bar. She opened the book and lost herself in it immediately.

"Lucy. Lucy. Lucy, you want something? Lucy!" She blinked as a hand waved in between her and the book.

"Oh, hello Mira," she responded as she closed the book. "What's up?" Mira looked like she didn't know how to react, but also a bit amused.

"I've been calling your name for at least 5 minutes now. You've been here for hours, so I wanted to know if you wanted something to eat or drink," the takeover mage explained patiently. Lucy groans.

"Sorry, Mira," she apologized sheepishly. "I got really absorbed in what I was reading." She blushed a bit as she realized how loud it'd gotten and wondered how she didn't notice.

"It's fine. Would you like anything?" Mira smiled gently.

"Oh uh, I think a lemonade would be perfect right now."

Mira went and got the drink. She came back and set a slice of lemon on top before handing it to Lucy.

"Thanks, Mira." Lucy took a sip and smiled, Mira made the best drinks.

"So your mission went well I take it?" Mira asked curiously. Despite the guild nearly being at it's normal volume and crowd level, she wasn't very busy at the moment since most people ate something before arriving. Lucy perked up, eager to explain to someone how big of a success it was.

"Far better than I expected actually. The client wasn't a snob like I feared, and he was very cooperative and helpful, between us we managed to set up traps in every possible entrance, along with traps near his most valuable collections. Then all we had to do was wait, the thief fell for one of the traps and I easily took him out after that without damaging any of the property." Lucy took a sip of her lemonade before continuing animatedly.

"Turns out it was a professional after the client's impressive art collection. I got the full reward, and then because the client was expecting the thief or me to cause damages since it's nearly impossible to fight with magic without damaging something at least a little, he wanted to give me extra on my reward, I decided against it since it was already a substantial reward, so instead he gave me this book." Lucy patted the closed book with a smile. "It's supposed to be rare and he wasn't even sure if there's any copies left of it, and I can see why, it's interesting. He didn't have a use for it and thought I'd be able to put it to good use. I think I can."

Mira smiled, having enjoyed the story. It was nice to see Lucy so proud of her accomplishments, normally after missions, it was Natsu explaining what happened, and even if Lucy did do something amazing, it was not acknowledged because her teammates were so far ahead in ability. She reached for the book curiously to see what it was. Lucy picked it up and clutched it to her chest. At Mira's surprised and slightly hurt look, she relaxed and started explaining sheepishly.

"I..." she started, sighed, and then tried again. "It's interesting, like I said. And I kind of want it all to myself right now because if people knew what it was about they'd want to read it themselves and might not allow me to keep it at all." She set the book down again, but kept it close to her. Mira smiled in sudden understanding and nodded.

"Freed's the same way with any book he hasn't read yet." The comment surprised a chuckle and a grin out of Lucy.

"Well, he does love reading... Do you know him well?" Lucy asked Mira curiously. After the whole incident with Laxus, she'd been curious about their pasts. She noticed that even though they were attempting to open up, something someone would say would make them retreat, and it just made her more curious.

"Well, when I joined with my siblings at the age of 13, he had been a member for a few years already I believe..." Mira mused. "He kept to himself mostly even then, and from what other people said he'd been like that for a while. Other than Evergreen, Bixlow, and Laxus, he didn't really try to talk to even those his age, preferring his books."

Lucy nodded and glanced over in his direction, thinking to herself. _'I wonder why... he is rather serious, and I'm guessing he was even then... so maybe he'd given up on making friends...?'_

Mira decided to leave her to her thoughts and get back to her job.

_'I wonder if that's why he was so loyal to his friends, he didn't want to lose them or something... that's sad... and he is trying now, but I can see it's hard for him, and the other two too, but no one else really sees that, and then they say something that has the others retreating... I wonder what that's about... Maybe I'll find out one day.'_

"Hey Lucy," Gray called, drawing her out of her thoughts. She turned around and rolled her eyes. He was standing there without a shirt on.

"Yes, Gray?" she asked, smiling at her friend as Erza joined him. The requip mage smacked him and dropped his shirt on his head before turning back to Lucy.

"We chose a mission, you coming?" she said calmly, holding a flier.

Lucy nodded, her normal smile on her face. _'Did they even notice that I was gone for the last 5 days? At least it was an easy mission, otherwise it'd be a bad idea to go on two back to back... now we just need Natsu.'_

Neither of the two realized something was up with Lucy, which was fine by her. If they didn't notice, then it didn't really matter. Besides, she was just being silly.

Natsu came up with Lisanna clinging to his arm and smiling. She looked a bit uncertainly at Lucy and clung tighter to Natsu, though he didn't notice.

"I'm all fired up!" he declared. "Let's go!" They started leaving, and he realized that Lucy was following. "Luce, you shouldn't come."

She froze, clutching the book to her chest again, while Gray and Erza stared at him in shock. Lucy wasn't sure how to react. He didn't want her along? What was going on here?

"I mean, it's not like we can protect you and Lisanna, and Lisanna really needs to get back into the swing of completing missions," he explained rapidly, and cluelessly.

Lucy still was not sure how to react. In anger? Hurt? She was frozen in place, gaping at him.

"So you didn't bother consulting me or Gray and decided to just go on a mission without her?" Erza asked, slightly angry.

"Well, I thought it'd go without saying, we can't protect two people at once, and I promised I'd help Lisanna!" Natsu said with his normal enthusiasm.

"We're not going without Lucy," Gray interjected, glaring at Natsu.

"Oh come on, it's not like one mission will hurt, will it Luce?" He turned to Lucy. She barely managed to paste a fake smile on her face.

"Oh, no problem. If it's for Lisanna." It was said perkily, but Erza and Gray could tell it was fake.

"We're not going then," Erza glared at Natsu.

"Okay. Then Lisanna and I can do it by ourselves." He took off, Happy flying after him, though the exceed had been too busy trying to talk to Carla to notice what Natsu had said to Lucy. Lisanna lingered for a moment, looking a bit scared at the prospect.

"Sorry Lucy," she squeaked before running after him. None of them were sure why she apologized and was so scared of Lucy. After a moment, Erza sighed.

"We better go with him, that mission is not the kind of mission for two people alone... especially with one of them being relatively unexperienced. I am truly sorry Lucy," Erza told her, and it was obvious that she was sorry. "I'll clobber him later for this," she swore before leaving. Gray took a moment as he slipped back on his shirt.

"That flame brain..." he grumbled. "We'll be back, and get it all straightened out then," he promised. "I'm sorry this turned out so bad, and now Erza and I have to go make sure he doesn't get himself and Lisanna killed." He hesitated, then gave Lucy a quick hug before leaving.

She stood there, still in shock. _'Did that... just happen? Natsu... thinks I'm weak? Or that I at least would get in the way because I need protecting? This... this can't be real...' _She blinked a few times, realizing that she was in the middle of the guild hall, and that they'd all just witnessed it. She turned and left, shaking as she tried to keep herself together.

Lucy made it to her apartment in a daze, barely stopping long enough to store her money in the savings box (protected with runes) she'd taken with her when she ran away. She collapsed on the bed and deposited her book next to her. After a few moments of staring into space and trying to understand what had happened, she reached for her spirits.

_'Who can I talk to... Not Plue, I need someone to answer... not Lyra, I don't want music right now... Leo? But he flirts with me and this is serious... but wait if I summon Aries at the same time... he probably won't flirt with me much if at all...'_ She smiled and selected the two keys.

"Open gate of the Lion, Leo! Open gate of the Ram, Aries!" she called out as she summoned them before sitting back down on her bed and clutching a pillow.

"Lucy you've finally decided to give into my-" Loke stopped speaking when he saw Aries there with him, and Lucy sitting there looking downtrodden. "What happened?" He moved over to her and sat down next to her, Aries following uncertainly.

"I'm sorry," Aries said softly. Lucy giggled a little.

"It's not your fault... I just needed someone to talk to..." she sighed. "Loke, did you ever meet Lisanna?"

"Uh... yeah... I remember when she died... why?" he asked hesitantly, a bit confused as to what that had to do with why she was upset. Lucy blinked.

"Wait... I haven't told you yet?" she paused to gather her thoughts. "You know about Edolas... well turns out Lisanna had been sucked into the Anima and ended up there... she's back," she finished with a sigh.

"Really?" Loke exclaimed with wide eyes. "Wow, everyone must be pretty happy." Lucy sighed and looked at him sadly. Aries sat on the bed nervously, unsure of what to do or say.

"That's the problem... I have to go speak to them, not the other way around, but I don't because they're so happy with her and Lisanna is scared of me for some reason... and... and..." She took a deep breath. "Today Team Natsu went on a mission, but then Natsu told me to... stay behind because they couldn't look after both me and Lisanna since he promised to take her on a mission..."

"You mean he implied that you're weak?" Loke growled while patting her back.

"You're not weak!" Aries blurted out. "S-sorry." Lucy smiled half-heartedly.

"No need to apologize, I'm not sure if I am or not... but obviously Natsu thinks I need protecting. I don't mind that he wants to go on missions with her, from what I've heard recently they were best friends until she disappeared. I just... he thinks I'm weak..." she whispered as tears started dripping down her face.

Leo pulled her into a hug with him and Aries. Neither of the spirits said anything for a bit, to let Lucy calm down. She sobbed for several minutes before pulling away slightly.

"Thanks..."

"No problem, Princess," Loke said gently as he wiped away her tears. "I'm here for you. And so is Aries... and all of your spirits. We believe you to be strong... well except for Aquarius... she has her own problems." Lucy giggled. "My point is, we know you're strong, we wouldn't be as strong ourselves if we were with another mage, I've never been this strong before. Just because your magic is different, doesn't mean you aren't strong."

"And... I like you," Aries says softly. "I-I've never felt so accepted before, and you're really patient and nice and you help me out instead of belittling me..." Then, out of reflex, "Sorry."

"Thank you... That means a lot. I want to get better at fighting, so I'm going to be training a lot now. I'm not like Erza or Gray and I want to be."

"I'll help," Leo promised immediately. She smiled and handed him her book.

"Read the first chapter." He did so. There was an expression of shock on his face by the end.

"Are you going to do it?"

"Yes, I want to at least try now that I have this book." He nodded.

"I'll tell the others and we'll help you do it," he promised. "If anyone can do it, you can, Lucy." She smiled.

"I'm not much help, sorry," Aries apologized. Lucy smiled and hugged her.

"It was nice just having you here with us," Lucy assured her.

"We'll head back to the spirit world and inform everyone, tomorrow I should have an idea of where to start for your training." Loke hugged Lucy. Aries followed suit cautiously. The lion spirit smiled at her and held her hand as they faded. Lucy laid back on bed, feeling quite a bit better.

* * *

"...I can't believe Natsu just did that," Evergreen commented, still in shock about what Natsu had said to Lucy.

"That was rather stupid and poorly done of him," Freed agreed. "If he believes he needs to protect Lucy, he should have approached it differently."

"Lucy looked really upset before she left," Bixlow added in, still staring at the doors. There was some silence in which they stared at the doors and each other as the scene sunk in. Many others of the guild looked a bit surprised about the scene, those that had been close enough to hear anyways. For once, the Raijin Tribe was close enough.

"We should take her on a job with us to cheer her up," Freed decided after a moment.

They nodded in agreement before getting up silently and going to the board to pick out a job. It took them several minutes to find the perfect one, but they did in the end. Freed was elected to go talk to Mira.

"Mirajane, we'll take this request. Could you tell me where Lucy lives?" he said smoothly, showing her the flier.

"Lucy? Why do you need to know that?" She looked intimidating, emitting a dark aura. He gulped nervously.

"Well, uh, the mission requires four mages, so we need a fourth..." he tried not to stutter.

"Why Lucy?" Mira was now just curious, but still somewhat protective.

"Well... we feel the most comfortable with her being the fourth," he admitted after glancing at his companions for help. They shook their heads and stepped further away. Mira tilted her head.

"Why?"

"She never really hated us or disliked us for what we did, even though that was the first time she met us. She... she doesn't treat us any different than the rest of the guild." Mira frowned, thinking about it before realizing that even she did treat them with a certain amount of caution sometimes.

"I see... so you want to go on this mission with her, and you need to be able to go to her apartment," she summarized. Freed nodded.

"That's about right... and I think it'll take her mind off of what just happened." Freed was startled by the grin and widening of Mira's eyes.

"Do you like her?" His cheeks tinged a light shade pink.

"N-no I don't."

"You do!" She beamed. Freed groaned.

"Okay, maybe I do, but I think Bixlow also likes her, and I don't know why she'd go for me out of all the guys..."

"Oh Freed, you're a great guy." He smiled half-heartedly.

"If you say so, Mirajane. I'll just wait and see. Now the address..."

She nodded and scribbled it down before handing it over to him.

"Be careful, it looks like this mission could be difficult," she warned him. He nodded, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry, we will. Until next time." He nodded to her and then left to rejoin his team. They left the guild hall together.

They went their separate ways after getting Lucy's address from Freed and agreed to meet up in front of her place in a few hours after packing, to give her time.

* * *

Lucy sat up, frowning. _'No one who knocks ever comes here...'_ She got off the bed, thankful she hadn't changed at all, and headed to answer the knock at the door. She paused a moment to smooth her clothes and to make sure she looked decent before opening the door. She stared at the three people in front of her.

"Uh... Hello," she said uncertainly. They all smile tentatively, obviously a bit nervous. "Come in." She stepped aside so they could come in. They all looked around, a bit impressed by her apartment. Finally, Freed remembered why they were there and took out the flier.

"We decided to take a mission to be bodyguards for some rich person, but he's paranoid, and requiring four mages. It's supposed to only last a few days, the day before, the day of, and the day after some dance he's hosting. Would you like to come with us?" Lucy looked over the flier, checked the name of the client, glad it wasn't her father or anyone else she recognized.

"I would love to," she responded after a moment. "It sounds like it could be fun. Do you know why he wants bodyguards?"

"He's paranoid alright, he believes someone is out to kill him for some reason," Evergreen commented as she sat down on a chair. Bixlow followed her lead and sat down as well.

"So we leaving today then?" Lucy guessed as she pulled out her suitcase.

"Yeah, gives us some time to settle in a hotel before we have to start the job," Freed responded absentmindedly as he browsed through her bookshelf. "These are some good books," he adds to her. She smiled.

"Yeah, I really enjoyed reading, it was one of the few things my father allowed me to do, so I just kind of collected a bunch of books, fiction and nonfiction." She threw some clothes into her suitcase, the ones with better taste for the setting they would be in. She figured that if she ended up going to the dance and had to stick close by being dressed in a dress, she'd get one she could fight in from Virgo. Then she took out most of her money and put it somewhere safe, in case she needed it.

"I think I'm ready," she announced.

"Cool!" Bixlow grinned as his babies echoed him as usual. She grinned at him and followed them out the door, pulling her suitcase along with her.

* * *

Laxus sighed as he walked through the train station. _'Another train station, another town. Boring. At least I've made progress with myself on the whole going insane thing... but still having issues there of course... Maybe I should try meditation, that might help, especially since I can't go too long without at least practicing so I don't get rusty.' _A different train arrived, but he didn't notice the sudden flood of people moving through the platform.

_'Meditation... One of the most boring ways to practice working with my magic, but it is supposed to help with mental stuff too... but it's so hard to just sit there and try not to think... I wonder if there's a different way to meditate...' _He adjusted his bag on his back as he headed for the exit to go into town. _'Guess I'll have to check the bookstore...'_

Suddenly someone collided with him from the side. He lost his balance and fell. It didn't help that said person had their nose buried in a book, so the collision with the book was painful.

_'Should've been paying more attention,' _Laxus thought to himself ruefully.

"Sorry," he and the other person said at the same time.

* * *

**A/n- Updates from here on out might not be as frequent due to the start of NaNoWriMo, and the fact that I want to be a novelist, so I must get going on writing my own novel to be published. I love fanfiction, but it doesn't earn money since we don't own what we write about.**


	4. Chapter 3: Magic Theory

**A/n Well, a week later, and a new chapter. I'm very proud of myself for getting this done in that time. I didn't think I would.**

* * *

Laxus stared at the blonde on the ground next to him. _'Oh shoot it's that newbie, of course I'd have a collision with her of all people!' _He was so surprised and worried about her reaction that he didn't move for a moment.

"Oh, hi Laxus," she said calmly before picking up her book and standing up. She then offered her hand to help him up. "Didn't expect to see you here." He just stared at her in disbelief.

"...you don't care that I nearly killed you a month ago," he blurted out suddenly. Then smacked himself for saying that aloud. Lucy giggled a bit at his reaction to saying something he had obviously not meant to say.

"Well, I don't believe you're truly evil or anything. And you did seem a lot different when you went to visit the master from any other time I've seen you," she explained, to his shock. He stared at her, blinking owlishly.

"You... you really think that?" She nodded.

"Yes. You may have a lot of issues, but deep down you aren't that bad of a guy, you weren't able to use Fairy Law the way you thought you wanted to after all," she reasoned, smiling. "So why are you here?"

"Change of scenery. Introspection is harder than I thought it would be," he shrugged, half smiling. She grinned a bit and chuckled.

"Yeah, it generally is. Good luck with that." She meant it genuinely. She turned to look for her companions. She didn't have to look far.

"There you are Lucy," Freed said with relief as he and the others of the Raijin tribe walked up with their suitcases. "You wandered off with your nose in that book of yours, and we didn't see where you went."

"Actually that was very similar to what's happened with Freed before... He does that a lot...," Evergreen commented thoughtfully to Lucy, ignoring Freed. Lucy giggled at that. She could see Freed doing that. He rolled his eyes, but didn't deny it.

"...huh? What are you guys doing here?" Laxus asked, staring at them in surprise.

"We took a mission here, and it required four mages so we asked Lucy to come along," Freed explained calmly. Laxus stared between him and Lucy. "I didn't expect you to be here already. Weren't you planning on coming to this town last week?" Laxus started to regret telling Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen his plans for the next few weeks the last time he saw them.

"I haven't been making any progress okay?" he grumbled. "I needed a change of scenery."

"I see. Would you like to head to the hotel with us then?" Freed suggested carefully. Laxus' temper combined with his current apparent mental instability did not make for a pretty picture if he did get angry.

"Why not. I don't have anything better to do." Laxus grabbed his bags before following them to the hotel.

After getting the rooming situation figured out, Lucy and Evergreen in one room, Bixlow, Freed, and Laxus in the other, they met up again to decide on what to do with the rest of the night.

"Remind me again why you aren't meeting with the client yet?" Laxus asked from the bed he was sitting on. Evergreen and Lucy had joined the guys in their room so they could make the decision.

"We're not needed until about noon tomorrow, so we might as well wait until tomorrow morning to meet up with him anyways," Freed explained patiently.

"Right. So it's a paranoid rich person who wanted at least 4 mages as a bodyguard for the day before, the day of, and the day after a dance?"

"That's what the flier says," Lucy chimed in from her perch on the table. "He must've had some threats or something, most rich people wouldn't waste this much money if they didn't truly believe they were in danger." They all turned to her in surprise. None of them said anything for a moment as they processed what she said.

"You think so?" Evergreen asked. "How do you know?" Lucy grimaced a little.

"I came from money, remember?" She barely paused for their acknowledgements before continuing. "While it's true that rich people do like spending their money, a lot of them can be stingy anyways, they like their fortune too much to spend it quickly. If the guy was just worried or wanted to show off, the reward would probably be about 400,000 total instead of that much for each mage who comes," she explained. They all looked a bit surprised and thoughtful.

"So there may actually be an attempt on his life then," Freed concluded with a sigh. Lucy nodded.

"That's what I think anyways."

"Right, then that means we should take him seriously," Bixlow commented while his babies floated up from where they were next to him.

"Seriously!" They echoed. Laxus rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"Then what will you do?" he asked after a moment.

"Well the best bet would be to go undercover as guests," Freed admitted reluctantly. All of them groaned.

"I don't want to wear a suit," Bixlow complained, it was hard to tell if he was joking or serious. Maybe the tone of voice was the joke. Freed frowned thoughtfully.

"Okay since we would be undercover as guests, we would have to have dates, as it'd look bad if we didn't..." he mused aloud. After a moment of contemplation, during which everyone stared at him, he looked up. "Laxus, would you like to help out?" Laxus smiled slightly.

"Anything to break the streak of boredom I've been having," he declared eagerly. Freed smirked slightly.

"You might regret that. Alright, so pending information, my plan is that we go to his house and stay over as guests, we leave most of our stuff here and bring only enough to look like we're rich and anything we might need for our magic. Bixlow will be patrolling and keeping an eye on anyone who might enter. That leaves Laxus and I to be the escorts of Evergreen and Lucy. If you don't mind that is," he added to Lucy and Evergreen.

"Well, it beats any other escort I had before I ran away. And this sounds like it could be fun." Lucy smiled. Evergreen beamed.

"Going to a dance, and getting a new dress for it? Why would I say no?" she declared, still beaming. Freed and Laxus groaned. Lucy brightened, and decided not to use Virgo to get a dress after all.

"New dress... yeah that's a good idea, we do need to dress the part, so shopping it is in the morning!" Lucy smirked as Freed and Laxus groaned again.

"What did we get ourselves into?" Laxus asked Freed with a sigh. The green haired mage shook his head.

"A morning of shopping... and even worse... clothes shopping... with girls." They were both being theatrical with their shudders and obvious dislike, causing Lucy and Evergreen to use each other for support as they laughed.

"Don't forget..." Lucy gasped for air. "...you need suits too!" Freed and Laxus exchanged looks of resignation to being forced to try on suits as well a shopping with them.

"Well I'm glad I don't need to be involved." Bixlow stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms proudly as his babies echoed him cheerfully. Everyone laughed a bit more before calming down.

"So what shall we do for dinner? Room service, or eating out?" Evergreen queried casually, slightly out of breath from laughing so hard.

"I vote room service," Freed stated. Bixlow nodded in agreement. "It's much simpler, less hassle."

"Well, I'm tired of room service myself," Laxus grumbled.

"I say room service as well, sorry Laxus," Evergreen decided after a moment. They all turned to Lucy who shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't mind either way, but..." she paused for a moment before giving into her impulse. "I could go with you to keep you company if you really want to go out that much," she offered Laxus, who genuinely looked surprised by the offer. He glanced at the others before shrugging.

"Why not? Then we all get what we want I guess," he noted before nodding to Lucy. She smiled at him.

"Alright, I'll get my purse and then we can leave." Laxus nodded. She got up and left the hotel room.

"Well... she's certainly interesting," Laxus commented to the three remaining in the room. Both Bixlow and Freed went a little pink on the cheeks. Laxus raised an eyebrow at them for their reactions while Evergreen giggled.

"She's really the only one who can treat us like we're normal," Freed explained after a moment.

"And she's quite cool for a cosplay dominatrix," Bixlow added with a grin. His babies repeated what he said as usual. Laxus looked between Freed and Bixlow for a moment.

"You both like her," he realized before grinning. They both went a darker shade of pink, not quite red. Evergreen nodded.

"I believe they do, it's quite entertaining hearing them discuss her." She then giggled some more at the affronted looks on their faces. Lucy came back.

"Alright I'm ready when you are, Laxus," she commented, oblivious to the fact that she was the topic of discussion while she was gone.

"Well, I'm ready now." Laxus stood up and grabbed his coat from a chair. "We'll be back when we're done." He followed Lucy out the door, who waved good bye to the others.

There was silence in the room for a few minutes afterwards, before Freed broke it by musing aloud.

"What if she ends up with Laxus...?" Then he blushed when he realized that both Evergreen and Bixlow were staring at him.

"Well, you both only have a crush on her, which has the potential to be love, right?" Evergreen took it upon herself to help her two friends, practically her brothers, work this out, though she was trying not to laugh since they hadn't really had a crush on anyone before. They nodded.

"Then it's not that big a deal is it? Just get to know her, become friends, isn't that the best way to start dating someone? If she ends up with Laxus first, then so be it, as long as you tried." Both Freed and Bixlow relaxed at her words.

"Thanks Evergreen," they chorused together. She grinned.

"Of course, I am the best person to go for for advice," she claimed loftily. They each groaned and threw a pillow at her.

* * *

Lucy and Laxus wandered around in silence. Eventually they found a casual restaurant and went inside. The silence continued for a bit as they looked at the menus. Finally, Laxus decided to break it.

"Why are you on a mission with them? Why not that pink haired fire freak?" he inquired curiously. Lucy shrugged.

"Well Natsu apparently decided I always needed protection and since Lisanna was going with them, I shouldn't because they couldn't protect two people."

"...he actually said that? Well that's moronic," Laxus declared. "No offense, but even if you are that 'weak' he shouldn't say something like that, he has no sense of tact." Lucy grimaced.

"You got that right. Then the Raijin tribe asked me to go on the mission with them and I decided that it could be fun," Lucy finished her explanation. Laxus thought about it for a while. Then the waiter came by and they ordered their food. Lucy sipped at her lemonade.

"So could you tell me about your magic?" she asked after a moment of internal debating. Laxus blinked a few times, staring at her in surprise.

"Well... uh... I started with learning lightning magic. Then I got a dragon lacrima implanted and I became stronger I guess... what did you want to know?" he asked sheepishly, realizing he wasn't exactly being helpful.

"Well, how does it work, the dragon lacrima, you just get the magic moving and it does the work?" she queried, her full attention on him.

"Well, I guess it's like that... It's not really much different than using my lightning magic, just a lot stronger." He paused. "At least that's how it feels to me." Laxus was taken aback by the frown she was sporting.

"I would think that since dragon slaying magic is so rare it would be a lot different," she commented after a moment. She was still sporting a slight frown, but she was definitely interested.

"Yeah, that's what I thought... I'm not sure I could consider myself a true dragon slayer anyways," he added, rubbing his chest where it had been implanted. "I think it was messing with my head because I used more magic than I normally would have during... my attempt to take over... And I just... snapped." He wasn't sure why he was explaining this to Lucy instead of the Raijin tribe or explaining it at all, but she did look interested. She leaned forward.

"You're saying it might have something to do with how you were acting?" she asked to clarify. He nodded.

"Yeah... every time I think about what happened I can't figure out why I acted that way. It was like... I'd lost all control and my morals all at once..."

"That... wow it would have been tough," Lucy commented, unsure of what else to say. He nodded. "So why do you think your lacrima was involved?" Their food arrived and they started eating between talking.

"The place where the lacrima is was hurting for about two days before that day... And it'd hurt worse when I used a lot of magic... Not that I really noticed at the time." He shook his head at how ridiculous he'd been.

"Well, you're trying to fix it now, aren't you?" Lucy pointed out.

"Yeah... doesn't change what I did though unfortunately... I can't believe I nearly killed..." He trailed off and shook his head. Lucy nodded in understanding.

"You didn't though, and you're working on fixing that. That matters more than what you almost did. You'll figure it out," Lucy assured him. He smiled slightly.

"Thanks."

The rest of their meal was mostly silent, with occasional comments about random topics. It was a delicious dinner, and then finally, they were done. They started heading for the hotel, but then Lucy stopped Laxus.

"Wait, let's go to the park for a bit," she pleaded. He stopped and looked at her in confusion before shrugging and going along with it.

They spent some time at the park wandering around. With night falling, there weren't that many people around. Finally Laxus turned to Lucy.

"What's this about anyways?" He asked. She fidgeted.

"Um... it's a bit of a long story..." She looked around and spotted a forest with rocks near the park. "I'll show you there," she pointed.

"Alright..." he said slowly and uncertainly.

She sat down on one of the small rocks and made sure Laxus was out of the way. She took a deep breath before focusing her magic to her mouth. It prickled and hurt the inside of her mouth, but she kept gathering it until the pain became unbearable. She opened her mouth and celestial magic flew out and hit one of the big rocks leaving a dent in it.

"Wow... first time I've left a dent..." she commented before turning to Laxus. He was gaping between her and the dent in the rock.

"That looked like a dragon's roar..." he said slowly. She grinned.

"It was kind of. I'm still working on it. It's not a real dragon's roar yet." She rubbed her cheeks.

"...that's impressive. You're stronger than I thought." Laxus sat down, still staring at the dent in the rock. Lucy shrugged.

"Well... summoning celestial spirits takes a lot more magic than people realize," she commented before searching through her big purse. Something registered in Laxus' mind.

"Wait... how are you learning dragon slayer magic?" he asked then paused. "You're not using a lacrima, are you?" Lucy grinned and shook her head.

"Nope. Two days ago I finished a mission successfully and the client decided to give me a rare book as a reward..." she pulled it out of the purse. Laxus stared at it.

"...that's a book on dragon slayer magic..." he observed in surprise. Lucy nodded.

"Yep. It's very interesting, and I think I know your problem with the lacrima... I've read all the theory and the first few exercises, and the small section about dragon lacrimas," she paused and took a breath before continuing. "Apparently dragon slayer magic is fundamentally different from pretty much all other types of magic." She opened the book and skimmed that section.

"I've heard suspicions but I've never heard of a reason behind it..." Laxus commented, watching her.

"It's because most magic is shaped outside the body, you send your magic to your hand, it gets shaped, and it leaves as lightning magic. Apparently with dragon slayers, it's different. It is their element magic inside their body, yours would be lightning magic, and it would always be lightning magic. That's why dragon slayers can eat their element to get stronger."

"What about people like that water woman... uh Juvia, I think her name was, her body is made out of water."

"She's one of the exceptions, and apparently most exceptions to that rule were born that way and didn't learn to become that way," Lucy explained. "It's hard to wrap your head around... anyways..." she flipped the pages. Laxus watched.

"So what about the lacrima then?" he asked curiously. She held up a finger and kept flipping the pages. She stopped near the end of the book.

"Here we are. Dragon lacrimas..." she read aloud. "'Dragon lacrimas were created to amplify a dragon slayer's existing powers. Once implanted, the lacrima disappears and its magic is melded with the dragon slayer's existing magic. This is not the effect achieved when implanted in a non-dragon slayer. They were and are not meant to create new dragon slayers. If implanted in someone who does not know dragon slaying magic, they will simply imitate dragon slayers. The lacrima will always be at war with their body, trying to force their magic into a shape it does not wish to take. Not much else is known about dragon lacrimas and their affects on dragon slayers or normal mages." Laxus stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"...so basically my mind got messed up because of this damn dragon lacrima," he grumbled. Lucy nodded, smiling.

"But I think that since it's meant to amplify a dragon slayer's power, if you learn dragon slayer magic, it will improve and stop warring with your body, and meld with your magic, and if that happens... your mental state will be completely back to normal..." Lucy finished before faltering. "At least... that's the theory I've come up with." Laxus thought about it for a bit, leaning against a tree and idly twisting lightning around his fingers. Finally, he spoke.

"I think you may be right... so could you please help me learn dragon slaying magic properly?"

* * *

**A/n- *IMPORTANT* If you've seen the guest review that went on a rant about me, I'm sorry. I don't know why that person is so angry and I did look at all of the replies I have sent.**

**I wish to clarify a few things.**

**1. A flame is a review or pm that is basically rude and completely insulting, with the person throwing around insults. For the most part, flamers flame because it amuses them or because they want revenge. As a rule, they usually seem pretty petty and immature to me.**

**2. In all of my replies, I've been nothing but polite. I've even gotten into conversations with a few reviewers. I don't like being rude and insulting and I always strive not to be.**

**3. I know that in a few of them I probably did come off as annoyed and/or exasperated. That was even after giving myself a few hours to calm down so I could respond politely. Those replies I showed someone before sending so I could be sure I was being polite. I apologize if you were one of the reviewers I was annoyed with.**

**4. I do not appreciate reviews that ask me to update as soon as possible. That tends to make a writer rush to please readers. I don't like rushing as it makes it come out worse than usual, and I need time to type the chapters, edit them, read them over again, and edit some more before posting. If you had asked me to update soon, and I seemed annoyed, that is why. I am trying my best not to show my annoyance when I answer, however. But I don't have perfect control, so sometimes I will snap.**

**5. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Make. Money. Off. Of. This. Fanfiction. That'd just be wrong. And I love writing this fanfiction. I don't expect to make money off of this fanfiction. I never did. I spent at least a week or two putting the prologue together for your enjoyment. Free enjoyment. And for my own as well, seeing how well I could pull off my ideas.**

**6. NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. My novel is more important than fanfiction right now. Yes, it is partially because of money. But how am I supposed to live if I don't have any source of income? I'm having issues getting a job (having no experience seems to be a really bad thing) and if I can get published, I hopefully can get a small income from that. It boils down to what is more important: My online life or my real life where I might go hungry from lack of money in the next month. I think you can tell which one it should be.**

**7. That does not mean that I am angry that I can't make money off of my fanfiction. Nor that I hate writing it. Like I said, I'm writing for the enjoyment of it and for other people as well.**

**8. I have not been trying to brag about my novel. I'm sorry if it comes off that way. I merely want to make sure people understand why it will be hard for me to update as soon as they'd like. I wish I could update that fast. But I can't, especially not with my novel being more important.**

**9. Money isn't even the sole reason I'm focused on my novel. I've wanted to be a published author since I was 12 or possibly younger. I love writing, and I want more than just people who read fanfiction to read my works. It's my dream.**


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